The empire in the making: construction and early critiques -- "Political philosophy" and the moralist tradition -- The imperial heyday: the formation of the Ottoman system and reactions to it -- "Mirrors for princes": the decline theorists -- The "golden age" as a political agenda: the reform literature -- The "sunna-minded" trend -- Khaldunist philosophy: innovation justified -- The eighteenth century: the traditionalists -- The eighteenth century: the westernizers